Who will be the next Sheriff of Jasper County?
McBride ready for another term
By SHARON KERR Staff Writer

Newsboy photo/ Sharon Kerr JASPER COUNTY SHERIFF RONNIE MCBRIDE, right, discusses why the county needs more officers on the street with Captain Stacey Chambers.

Jasper County Sheriff Ronnie McBride confirmed Monday, June 16, that he will run for sheriff again next year.

"We've had three good years, survived a hurricane and some ups and down, but fairly good over all," McBride said.

One of his more immediate goals will be to request three more officers at the upcoming county budget hearings.

"We need more officers on the street to answer the concerns of our citizens," McBride said.

Extra coverage would help solve the biggest complaint, which is response time.

Captain Stacey Chambers said the department is trying to "give extra attention to areas of higher crime, but we have to have the personnel to do it."

McBride and Chambers also said the new jail, which was built to house 144 inmates but is only staffed to handle 96, could "put some money back into the system" if the Jasper County Commissioners' Court would budget for staff to fully utilize the facility.

Jasper currently has contracts with Hardin and Polk counties to house some of their inmates. Chambers says he sees no shortage of inmates (from other counties) to fill the remainder of the jail if it was staffed as it was designed to be.

The county makes a small profit on the contracts, and filling the jail also reduces the per capita cost for Jasper County inmates, according to a report Chief Deputy Sheriff Jack Jett gave commissioners in February 2007.